Outlook and Reflection

My traineeship has deepened my knowledge of different cultural perspectives. My fellow counsellors and campers come from a wide range of backgrounds, and has helped me see how people’s background and culture can influence their behaviour, communication and expectations. Campers behaviour and communication has varied massively based on these factors, and as a result has strengthened my empathy and adaptability by understanding how background shapes individual needs.

At home, I am very used to being surrounded by people with similar or the same cultural traits. After spending town in a new environment with people from a range of backgrounds and cultures, it has made me realise how different my cultural traits can be. The way in which I communicate, concept of personal space, and interpretation of people’s actions and words at times are very different to other people I work with. This has taught me to be more conscious of my actions, how they may be interpreted differently and therefore needing to make adjustments accordingly.

My traineeship has further reinforced the idea that I want to work with children. Prior to coming, I knew I wanted to work in a school as a Maths teacher. I enjoy working with children and even more so after this experience. However, it has confirmed that I wish to work with secondary school age students, those aged between 11-16. I have found I work best with this age range and I know I can make the most impact in their development and education.

With time, I have become more confident in communicating with the American campers. We both speak the same language, with the only difference being slang words and using different words for different things. As such, at times I have had to change the way I speak or phrase things to ensure they understand what I’m trying to say and that communication is effective.

Over time, I believe my employability skills have gotten better. A big part of my job is working with my co-counsellors as part of a team to lead our group around camp. As a result, I think my teamwork skills have improved significantly. Communication skills go hand in hand with this, as I have to effectively communicate with my co-counsellors and campers to ensure they get the most out of their camp experience. I think skills like these will be really crucial in helping me exceed in my future career.

During my time here I have been interested in learning about other cultures and peoples backgrounds. Camp is such a diverse place with many people from different backgrounds and cultures. It has been interesting to have conversations with a range of people to understand their backgrounds, the holidays they celebrate and the religions they practice. These conversations have deepened my knowledge of different cultures and also provided me with a new found respect for them.

My traineeship has been very interesting and I am keen to pursue a career in that takes me abroad. Once I complete my teacher training and achieve Qualified Teacher Status it provides me with the ability to teach further afield than the UK as it is a globally recognised status. I am keen to teach for a year in America or Australia, as it will provide a new challenge for me teaching in a new environment, whilst also providing comfort due to the cultures being the same in many ways but also vastly different in some areas.

Volunteering or working abroad is a great idea and I couldn’t recommend it more. It is a great opportunity to explore new areas and cultures, whilst also helping people in need and enriching their lives. In doing so, you grow so much as a person and learn so much about yourself and leave having developed your pre-existing skills, whilst also learning new ones too. At times it is challenging, but the experience is amazing and you gain and learn so much from it.

I’d say my greatest achievement is really making it through the whole experience. In my second week I sprained ankle quite badly. This left me feeling very uncertain as to whether I would be able to stay at camp whilst it heals, or if I’d be sent home. Thankfully, it healed up very quickly and I was able to go back to work, but this was a very scary and uncertain time for me. Outside of that, I’m just proud of the hard work I put in at challenging times along with the memories and friends I’ve made.

On a personal level, the experience has enhanced my cultural adaptability as I worked and navigated a new environment with people from a range of cultures and backgrounds. This also involved me stepping out my comfort zone and managing various responsibilities, as such it has improved my time management but also self confidence in the work I can handle and navigate.

Professionally, I improved my leadership abilities by managing groups of campers and organising counsellor led activities. I also strengthened my teamwork skills and capabilities. Managing the group as a team taught me how to inspire others whilst working effectively in a team to create a positive camp atmosphere. Through this I  also gained experience in conflict resolution, time management and activity planning, skills that will be invaluable in my future working in a school.

I would highly recommend Camp America to anyone who is considering it! Through this experience you gain such valuable skills, but doing it in such a fun and rewarding environment. It provides you with the opportunity to work in a multicultural environment, make friends for life across the world and gain hands on experience in working with children. The personal growth and satisfaction you gain from making such a positive impact on the lives of the campers is unmatchable. The adventures that follow in your travels are truly exciting too, and is such a worthwhile experience to undertake.